


Shady Peaks

by WiseTheWolf (Cervalces_Scotti)



Category: No Fandom, Original Work
Genre: Adventure, Banter, Blood, Blood and Gore, Cute, Cute Kids, F/F, Fluff and Humor, Friendship, Gay Character, Humor, Inappropriate Humor, Injury, Khutulun "Ktu" Machiavellian (OC), Magic, Mountains, Mystery, Nonbinary Character, Pansexual Character, Raemoni "Raemo" Greers (OC), Sarcasm, Snark, comments encouraged, vlog
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-05-04
Updated: 2019-05-24
Packaged: 2020-02-09 12:52:01
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,055
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18638500
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cervalces_Scotti/pseuds/WiseTheWolf
Summary: Living life surrounded by 4 mountains isn't so hard, at least for most. There's the lovely views, interesting characters, the occasional supernatural phenomenon, unsolved deaths...yeah, an easy living.





	1. "Jaundice Trails"

**Author's Note:**

> Character(s) introduced:
> 
> Raemoni "Raemo" Greers
> 
> Khutulun "Ktu" Machiavellian
> 
> Comments appriciated, enjoy!

"Welcome to ' Yeah We Khan,' a brave duo who have taken up the challenge to investigate the rumors, myths, and legends of Shady Peak. First off on the list, Jaundice Trails!" Raemoni spoke to the camcorder with an enthusiasm that made most younger children appear calm, she quickly turned it to her friend, Khutulun, "Ktu, tell them the story!"

Ktu was leaned against the rusty metal mesh that blocked the entrance of the old trails, with a roll of her eyes, she retorted, "I never agreed to this Raemo."

Raemo pouted from behind the camcorder, "Come on, for the future fans!"

Ktu was very much tempted to keep up her snippy comments, but looking her friend in the eyes made her waver. Ktu sighed, she had a soft spot for Raemo. "Fine...30 years ago these trails were shut down after multiple strange and unusual events took place. The very first case, a married couple of 13 years by the name of Jennifer and Dylan Stevens--"

"Ooh, I got a picture!" Raemo interrupted, shoving the aged picture of the couple into Ktu's hands, "Hold it up."

Ktu did, gazing at the picture with heavy scrutiny, "Where in the heck did you get this?"

"Chief Mich said I could look through the old case files."

Ktu gave Raemo a disapproving look, "You know he's too gullible to function..."

"Psh, I got it fair and square, now keep telling the story!"

Ktu resisted the urge to scold her friend, of only for the sake of humoring her, "The couple had a history of an affectionate, stable relationship, having one 9 year old child by the name of Eliza. On the day of their planned 2 day walk in Jaundice Trails, they left their daughter Eliza with Dylan's brother, Oscar."

Raemo shoved some more pictures into Ktu's hands, giving a look that clearly dared her to speak out. Ktu narrowed her eyes but held her tongue, continuing the story after giving the pictures a glance, "According to several witnesses who had some form of contact with the couple just before they entered the trails, all was fine. There was no sense of tension between the two, no malice or even annoyance. These were taken by a photographer who offered to give them a discount since they looked so great together," Ktu stated dryly, holding out the other pictures to show the couple posing by the very gates they stood by.

The really did look happy, if those love sick grins were anything to go by. Ktu shivered, ew. Yeah, she's only 14, but...ew, mushy relationships were just so revolting to think about. Ktu resisted the urge to gag, "But just 3 hours into the trails, it all went wrong. The cameras in the trails sucked, but caught bits of audio. The couple was screaming at eachother, bickering, and just...went completely nuts out of the blue. Some time later, their bodies were found. Yellower then the Sun and their personalities taking a turn for the worst, Jaundice Trails took on a whole new meaning. Several more similar and equally disturbing cases led to them being shut down for good."

Raemo switched the camcorder back to her, a beaming smile present, "There you have it, and today, we're going in, Ktu, the gate!"

The jaded 14 year old dropped the pictures into the dirt, then gripped the old rusted gate.

"Ah, Ktu! That was not cool!" Raemo said as she frantically trying to pick up the pictures and put them back into her jacket pocket without dropping the camcorder.

"No," Ktu grunts while pulling on the mesh harshly, "What's not cool is dragging me here and using me like I'm just the muscle of the operation. On top of already not really explaining anything until you whipped out the camera."

Raemo angled the camcorder towards the wooded trails, "Hm...fair point."

Ktu gave one last tug, the gates flew open fast enough to make her stumble from the unexpected give.

"Haha, fine job my bestest friend!" Raemo gave Ktu a side hug so she could point the camera at both of them, capturing her own glee and Ktu's reluctant expression, "We are going in!"  
______________________________________________

"It has been 2 hours. Can we go home?"

"Not yet Ktu! We haven't even gotten started yet!"

"Ugh..." As much as Ktu found Raemo's determination endearing, sometimes it just turned into sheer stubbornness. "I am not missing dinner for this. Come on, Mx. Everest is a worry-wart, you don't want to get us in trouble...again."

"Not yet!" Raemo repeated firmly, continuing to walk ahead.

Ktu rolled her eyes, of course not. Mx. Everest would certainly over react when they came home late. That didn't really matter too much to her, she was more concerned with dinner, and Raemo's unwillingness to just try again later. The Sun wasn't going to set for another 2 hours, but that didn't change the vibe the trails gave off. It was something that just...irked her nerves, if that made any sense. Every little inconvenience felt so, so annoying. Any small trip or stump on a pebble, every moment her stomach remained empty. And it all boiled down to Raemo's stupid, idiotic investigation.

Ktu's teeth grinded and her glare shifted to the back of Raemo's head, she quickly slapped her own face lightly on the cheek. Where did those mean spirited thoughs come from all of a sudden? It was as if that one line of thinking sent her on a spiral of dark thought. Ktu wondered if Raemo was being affected by it.

Raemo, meanwhile, found herself stuck in a loop. An insatiable need to keep going, until something was found, they would never set foot out of this woods. She was a bit put off at how serious she felt about that last thought, "Ktu..." Trailed off as she suddenly stopped marching ahead.

"Yeah?" Ktu nearly whispered, coming to a stop right beside her shorter friend.

"You wouldn't leave me in here by myself right?" Raemo asked quietly, both her arms hung low, even while the camera was still running.

Ktu stared incredulously, "Of course I wouldn't!" She leaned down a bit and grasped her friends shoulders carefully, "What in the name of the 4 peaks made you think that?"

"You always complain about your stomach..." Raemo muttered harshly, it was...very uncharacteristic of her, "...as if my own wants don't matter. I'm trying to make this fun for you too!" She suddenly yelled, dropping the camcorder and shoving Ktu back.

Raemo wasn't strong enough to physically overwhelm Ktu, but the shock is what made Ktu stumble back, "Raemo...what the heck was that?!" Her own voice raised before she could even stop herself. What was wrong with her? It was as if she could only watch as her body acted on it's own accord.

"It was exactly what it was Ktu, you pessimistic jerk!" Raemo continued, forcefully grabbing Ktu's shirt collar.

Ktu internally winced. No way was she about to actually get into a fight with her friend. What was going on? All was fine until...until they went into the woods. It was just like the other cases!

"Raemo," Ktu said through gritted teeth, this was oddly straining to fight through...whatever this place was doing to them.

"What?" Her friend snarled back, tightening her grip on Ktu's shirt.

Ktu grabbed her friend by the wrists, "Knock it off, can't you see? This place is screwing with our minds! Snap out of it!"

Raemo's gnarled frown turned into one of confusion, her grip went slack, "What the...Ktu I'm sorry. I don't know what happened."

"It doesn't matter," Ktu huffed, letting go of her friends wrists and snatching the camcorder from the ground, "We have to get out if here. I don't know exactly what happened to everyone...but I really don't wanna be found the same way. Lets go!" Ktu shoved the camcorder into Raemo's hands before just picking up Raemo entirely like one would a sack of potatos and running.

"Ah, you could have warned me! Slow down, I'm gonna drop the camera!" Raemo wriggled in her friends grasp a bit, but Ktu tightened her hold.

"Shove it, our lives matter more then the vlog!" Ktu said, exasperation evident. Honestly...Raemo's priorities worried her.

"But our lives are the vlog!"

"Uuuuggghhh...."  
______________________________________________

They didn't know how long it took before Ktu finally ran past the familiar rusty gate, but the moment it happened, Ktu dropped Raemo onto the ground.

"Ow...that hurt..." She whined, but was otherwise okay.

"Whatever. I'm the one who ran and carried you the whole time." Ktu countered, slamming the gate of the Jaundice Trail shut, "Never again..." She sighed to herself, staring down the trails that looked so innocent in the evening light. Pretty even...yeah right.

"So," Raemo started as Ktu plopped down next to her on the ground, tired from all that went down, "what do you think that was?"

Ktu shrugged, "I have some ideas...I think the Jaundice Trails has something that amplifies someone's worst traits. To the point of insanity even."

Raemo nodded, "So did I."

"There's something that still bothers me though...what killed those people? Themselves? Some other supernatural force? Is the Jaundice Trails haunted or cursed?"

Raemo giggled, and it was then Ktu noticed she was holding the camera closer to her face, "For someone sooo disinterested, that sure is a lot of curiosity behind those questions I hear."

Ktu looked away from the camera, embarrassed, "Buzz off..."

Raemo only continued to giggle, but took the camera away from Ktu and back to her, "There you have it fans! Jaundice Trails has officially been Khan'ed!"

"Oh please don't tell me that's seriously a thing..." Ktu grumbled as Raemo did the outro.

Her friend closed the camcorder, smiling brightly, "All it needs is a lot of editing and bam! Our vlog has been kick started!"

"Why does that feel like foreshadowing?"

"Because Ktu, it's foreshadowing all our great adventures."

"...I really, truly, doubt that..."

With that first venture, the story has begun.


	2. "Madame Melegun"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comments appriciated!
> 
> Character(s) introduced:
> 
> Mx. Everest
> 
> Madame Melegun

They got home earlier then they thought, around 7 pm. It appeared that place had some sort of time dilation going on too. Mx. Everest was...well...

"I swear to the friggin' summits if either of you have gotten hurt, I'd wait for you to recover...and then beat you senseless!"

...still very, very mad.

"Mx. Everest, we came back fine." Ktu retorted flatly. She never did react strongly to much of anything, anger being included.

Mx. Everest sighed, one hand pinching the bridge of their nose, another at their hip, "I expected this from Raemoni. But I didn't think you would get sucked into it so fast. I usually have time to prepare..."

"Sorry Mx. E, but I've got a passion that needs a pursuing!" Raemo declared from her spot at the table, still fiddling with the camera. Ktu sat next to her, stomach growling loudly.

"Yeah, what she said. Now, where's the food?" Ktu's fists knocked on the wood lightly when she hit the table, mostly to emphasize her message.

Mx. Everest waved a dismissive hand, "Raid the fridge if your hungry. I'm going to bed early, remember we have to help Madame Melegun with her garden tomorrow morning," they reminded after yawning. Mx. Everest always has tired easily, probably from always helping everyone in the Masstif.

Mx. Everest left to rest, meanwhile Ktu and Raemo shuddered. Madame Melegun was a women as crooked as they come, an obvious ominous vibe along with her...very questionable business. Whatever it was. Literally everyone shared their sentiments...except for Mx. Everest. Either they knew and just ignored Madame Melegun's shady behavior, or was completely oblivious.

"I do not want to get up early just to help that creep..." Ktu groaned, pulling out a few containers, "Spaghetti or steak?"

Raemo cringed as she continued to work with the camera, "Yeah...last time I saw her, I swear that was a body bag in her trash can. And you know what I want."

"Raemo, I will never get over how disgusting your diet is."

"Oh come on! Steak and spaghetti together is the bomb!"

"Yeah...the bomb that's gonna start World War 3..."  
______________________________________________

"Ktuuuuuu! Look, look!"

Before Ktu could even sit up from her bed, a familiar weight bounced at the foot of her bed, seconds later landing right onto her back, "Ack--! Raemo--" Ktu wheezed, the air had been knocked out of her from the impact. Raemo didn't seem to notice, pulling on the back of Ktu's pajamas.

"C'mon, c'mon, get up already! You have to look!" She continued to pull, Ktu growled and shot up suddenly. Since Raemo was sitting on her back, she fell right off, landing with a thump.

"Oof..." She shook it of, springing right back up and grabbed at both of Ktu's hands to pull her sluggish friend along, "Hurry up slow poke!"

"Not everyone can be as energetic as you at..." Ktu trailed off and to peer at the clock,"...3 in the morning. Is this about the vlog?"

"Yes, it is," Raemo squealed, she suddenly bolted to the other side of the room where her bed sat, a laptop in the center of it along with a pile of covers and stuffed animals. Ktu followed much more slowly, easing herself into the bed.

"Alright then, what's got you so hyped?"

Raemo grinned, turning it so Ktu could see the screen. It didn't take Ktu long to find what had her friend so excited, a single comment. She sighed internally, "Looks great," she slurred sleepily, yawning.

Ktu then reached over and shut the laptop, putting on the nearby desk, Raemo gasped indignantly, "Hey!"

Ktu only grabbed her friend around the middle and pulled her down with her, "Bed."

Raemo squirmed and tried to reach out for the laptop, "Not yet! Must...monitor...my child!"

Ktu hummed, "Your child? Raemo, the vlog isn't going anywhere, you need to sleep."

"Fight me!" Raemo snipped back, wriggling harder to no avail.

"Sure..." Ktu murmured, she was falling asleep again with the poor, struggling Raemo in her grasp.

"Ugh," Raemo went limp, just accepting it at this point, "you're no fair."

"Mhm..."  
______________________________________________

The light of the sun suddenly blinded them both, one hissing at it, the other tumbling right out of the bed. You can probably guess which is which.

"Good morning girls!" Declared Mx. Everest from by the blinds. Ah, they had been the one who opened them, "Up and at em', Madame Melegun is waiting. Breakfast is on the table for when you're dressed!" And like that, their morning had begun. Both of them groaned from the abrupt awakening.

"I cast thy Sun into the deepest pits of wherever lies the unforgivingly cold caresses of death itself..." Ktu muttered darkly from under the covers to shield herself from the morning rays.

"Ditto." Raemo echoed begrudgingly from her spot on the floor, "...I hope there's bacon..."  
______________________________________________

Breakfast was a short affair, as Mx. Everest wanted to get to work as soon as possible. The walk wasn't long, but it didn't stop a certain someone from being bored.

"So...what did you do with our parents?"

Mx. Everest looked very uncomfortable, "That's... You know I'm not allowed to tell you what I did with your parents."

"Orgies?" Ktu thought out loud.

"Oh for--no Ktu!"

"What's an ' orgies ' ?"

Mx. Everest tripped suddenly, barely catching themselves, "Uh...that's also something I can't tell you about."

Ktu nudged Raemo in the side, "I'll tell you later."

"No you won't!" Mx. Everest cut in sharply, "Oh look, we're already here!" They suddenly exclaimed. "Let's change the topic of conversation and never come back to this ever."

Raemo wanted to keep pressing for an answer, but the sight before her made her stay quiet. Madame Melegun sat in a rocking chair on her porch, watching, waiting. Despite the mild weather, she wore a pair of black pants lined with white fur like material, a shirt with a peculiar design in the front, a thin coat also lined with the same white fur, toped off with a strange hat. It was large and shadowed her face at the perfect angle to absolutely terrify anyone with a single tilt.

In short...horrifying.

It wasn't the first time they've helped the Madame together...but it didn't make it any less scary. Mx. Everest seemed oblivious to it, and while Ktu was about as unnerved as her...it didn't stop her from being just as sarcastic.

"Morning Madame!" Mx. Everest waved to get her attention, meanwhile Raemo and Ktu wanted to run.

"Good Morning, Everest," The Madame spoke softly, "Hello Raemo," her expression immediately went sour at the sight of Ktu, "Brat."

"Always a pleasure, witch." Ktu said without pause.

That earned her a smack to the back of the head by Mx. Everest, "None of that today!"

Madame Melegun grinned at the sight, "Oh, that's quite fine Everest. At least the youth these days has some bite."

Ktu glared at the Madame, but remained passive only for Mx. Everest. Raemo laughed uncomfortably, "Right uh...we'll just...work now. Bye!" She pulled Ktu by the hand and bolted to the side of the house, which is where the garden was kept. Oddly enough, Madame Melegun lived near the woods where Jaundice Trails was. It only added to the creepiness of this whole place.

They got to work, clearing the weeds and checking for rotten fruits and vegetables. It didn't take them long since they had been doing work like this a long time. Ktu took a tomato from the plant, it always seemed to be growing them no matter the weather, which is the only thing Ktu liked about coming here.

"Ktu, I have an idea--" Raemo started after popping up from the fruits section.

"No," Ktu cut off, taking a bite out of the pilfered tomato.

"You haven't even heard my idea!"

"You want to snoop around Madame Melegun's business. Probably for the vlog, right?"

Raemo's face went from a stubborn pout to a suspicion grin, "Psh...no?" Ktu only stared blankly, "Okay, yes! But come on, she's so full of secrets! And just straight up creepy. Don't you want to know what's with her?"

Ktu sighed, "I do, but--hey!" Raemo had grabbed her arm as soon as she had answered and started to pull her to the back of the house.

"Then hurry! I brought the camcorder!"

"Let me finish my friggin' tomato, slow down--!"  
______________________________________________

Madame Melegun handed her friend a cup, the liquid within resembled tea, but it was a bit too thick to be just tea, "How has it been Everest?"

They took the cup gratefully, "The usual, almost slow, if it weren't for the kids," they took a thoughtful sip, "They're getting more daring by the day."

The Madame chuckled, joining Mx. Everest at the kitchen table, "I can tell. Though they still run from me."

"Everyone runs from you, you're the Madame!"

Madame Melegun hummed, "While that may be true, you don't, like normal people do."

Mx. Everest looked her right in the eye, speaking with a serious tone, "I'm not normal people."

There was a pause, but both soon disolved into giggles, "You certainly aren't Everest. None of us were meant to be."

A sudden crash alerted them both, Mx. Everest sighed and set down their tea, "Of course, the kids are shaping up to be enigmas themselves...destructive ones at that."

"We should probably check on them."

"Definitely."  
______________________________________________

"Oh...that was a bad idea."

"This whole thing was a bad idea!"

"Yeah well...I'm blaming you. You started it."

"I'm gonna finish it! Fight me!"

The Madame and Mx. Everest had come to an interesting sight. The kids were fine...well, they were fighting...and surrounding them was 4 broken vases. 4 very, very important vases..."Ahem," Madame Melegun cleared her throat to get the wrestling girls attention.

Raemo, who was in the middle of pulling her fist back to hit Ktu, who she had by the collar while they were on the floor. They both looked up at the exasperated Madame and livid Mx. Everest with fear.

Mx. Everest was the first to snap, "Oh that's it you two, I'm going to--!"

"Take a pause Everest," Madame soothed her friend, "they are still children, as you said."

Mx. Everest sighed, "Okay...okay, I'm calm," they took a deep inhale, "All of us, kitchen meeting, now. We'll talk there." They stomped off, leaving the girls with the Madame temporarily.

"We should follow them...but, I would like to know why you came into this room," Madame Melegun began coolly, "...and what you found." Her tone had a cold ring that made Raemo shiver, Ktu grit her teeth.

"O-oh, well..." Raemo stuttered, "we didn't find anything...not that we were looking! Uh..." She swallowed nervously, but her voice steadied, "As a matter of fact...we would like to interview you for our vlog! Like what your business is and stuff..."

Madame Melegun's eyes steeled, "What do you know about my business?"

Raemo immediately noticed the shift, "Ah, no, no, we know absolutely nothing! Please don't leave our bodies in a dumpster!"

"Whatever," Ktu cut in, "let's just go to the kitchen already," she gave The Madame a vicious look as she made her friend walk ahead of her until they disappeared down the hall.

Meanwhile, Madame Melegun turned back to the vases for a moment. From the scattered pieces, she already knew what was out of place, ' Those kids lack subtlety, ' It wasn't an immediate threat however. So, she decided to let this one slide...for now.  
______________________________________________

By the time they had all made it to the kitchen where Mx. Everest, they seemed at least a bit cooled down from earlier. They all sat at the table, politely waiting for them to speak.

"I'm not going to punish you two..." Mx. Everest says suddenly, bringing a sense of relief to Raemo and Ktu. But only for a moment, "...at least, not how I normally do."

"Darn it..." Raemo groaned, head lulling back onto the chair. Ktu rolled her eyes, of course, there was always something.

"Madame Melegun," Mx. Everest addressed, "I give you permission to administer the punishment."

Surprisingly, Ktu was the one who reacted first, "What?!" She seethed, "This personification of nightmares is going to send us to our deaths!"

"Should have thought of that before you broke those vases." Mx. Everest replies, " Madame, if you will."

She took a moment to think, one hand held her chin in though, "I believe I know what would best punish the pitiful children. Chief Mich is looking for youthful workers in the upcoming Crooked Festival. But, how about they do the work for free?"

Mx. Everest nodded, "Perfect."

"This is child labour," Ktu huffed, "and I disagree on principle."

"On the bright side, we get to be in the Festivities?" Raemo tried, giving her friend a pat on the back. Ktu just sighed.

"Well Madame Melegun, it was a nice visit. I'll be stopping by some time tomorrow okay?"

"See you then Everest...and I'll see you kids working hard next week." The Madame added the last part to tease the two kids a little. As expected, the ever so sweet Raemo gave a nervous smile. Ktu, or the brat, gave her an icy glare.

Madame watched as they left, leaning her chair back, then letting it swing until it settled into it's usual rocking pattern. It was shaping up to be one heck of a week. She smiled to herself, what a turn if events.  
______________________________________________

Some time later, nearly night, Madame Melegun checked her garden for the last time before she went to work. Everything was taken care of, like usual after a visit from Mx. Everest and her little wards. But...something felt off. She immediately went for the tomato plant...it was growing one new tomato, it was still green. That couldn't be right. Not unless--

The Madame froze at the realization. Hastily, she went back inside her house, pacing between the open door and the kitchen.

There was now a serious problem on their hands.

**Author's Note:**

> Wise One Out!


End file.
